Ren exhaled sharply, torn between his desire and his possessiveness and finally captured her lips in a kiss that was fierce, claiming and utterly his. He couldn't get enough of her, every time he tried pulling out, he could feel her pussy sucking him back in, her walls strongly clasping his cock tightly each time.
"Good," he murmured against her mouth, voice low and rough. "Because this… this is only for me. Only ever for me."
Noelle shivered, knowing exactly how much control he wanted to assert and how much she loved pushing him to the edge.
Ren responded just as fiercely, his hands sliding down her sides, his touch gentle but firm. His body was warm against hers, a constant presence, and she could feel the way his heartbeat echoed in her chest, syncing with her own. She wanted more, needed more, and she let him know by pulling him deeper into the kiss, her fingers threading through his hair.
Every movement, every shift of their bodies, seemed to heighten the pressure building between them. They were so close, so intertwined that it was impossible to tell where one of them ended and the other began. The world outside the room ceased to exist, all that mattered was the heat and the closeness, the feeling of being wanted and cherished.
They moved together with a rhythm that felt almost effortless, the world outside falling away completely. Every touch, every kiss, every whisper was a promise. A promise of something real, something deep, something they were both too afraid to admit they needed until now.
As the moment built to its peak, everything felt almost too much to bear. Noelle's breath hitched as the intensity of it overwhelmed her, her body arching instinctively toward Ren's. His name left her lips in a gasp and the sound of it broke something inside him, making him tighten his grip on her, as if he needed to feel her more, needed to be closer.
In that room, nothing else existed but the two of them, lost in a moment of perfect, raw connection.
As the room settled into stillness, the weight of the moment lingered in the air, thick with the residue of the intercourse that had just unfolded. Noelle's breath was shallow, unsteady, her skin flushed and still tingling from the intensity. Ren, equally disoriented, held her as if she might slip away, as if the very touch of her was grounding him in something he wasn't ready to let go of. The world outside seemed distant. Noelle's heart still raced, each beat a reminder of the depth of what had just transpired and yet, in the quiet aftermath, there was an undeniable sense of vulnerability between them, a space that was both fragile and infinitely intimate. Ren shifted, his thumb grazing her skin with the kind of tenderness that spoke more than words ever could.
With exams finally behind them, Ren began to fold Noelle into the rhythm of his everyday life, no longer content with seeing her only in fleeting moments. When he set out to try new restaurants as part of his market research, he started asking her to come along, saying he valued her opinion even though, deep down, he simply wanted her company.
"Market research," Ren had said with a grin when he picked her up one Saturday afternoon. "For future expansion."
"Right," she teased, sliding into the passenger seat. "So it's not because you just want to eat everything on TikTok?"
"Not everything," he said easily, flashing her that confident smile that still made her heart stumble a beat. "Only the ones you'd like."
They started with hidden gems: an unassuming ramen shop in Tanjong Pagar, a new café in Everton Park with pistachio everything, a Peranakan fusion place in Joo Chiat. Ren would take photos of the food, tasting each dish like a critic, then glance at her for her verdict.
She, meanwhile, was just enjoying the moments. The way he rolled up his sleeves when the food arrived, the thoughtful silence before he jotted notes into his phone, the ease in his laughter.
"You're really serious about this restaurant thing, huh?" she asked once as they strolled down Arab Street after dinner, the night air heavy with the scent of spices and incense.
Ren nodded. "It's not just about food. It's… how people connect. How a place makes them feel." He glanced at her then, a slow smile tugging at his lips. "Kind of like this."
Noelle looked away, cheeks warming. "You mean sweaty and tired?"
Ren laughed, the sound low and full of affection. "No," he said, brushing his fingers against hers as they walked. "The kind of thing that grounds people and bring people today. I mean… real. Messy and chaotic sometimes. But warm. Familiar."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her smile. "You're comparing me to a restaurant now?"
He tilted his head, pretending to think. "Mmm… maybe. Except you're the one I'd never want to franchise."
Noelle snorted, smacking his arm lightly. "That's the cheesiest thing you've ever said."
"Maybe," he admitted, grinning, "but it made you smile."
She shook her head, unable to fight the tiny laugh bubbling up. For a while, they just walked, hands brushing occasionally until Noelle gave in and slipped her fingers between his. Ren's grip tightened instinctively.
"You really love this, don't you?" she said softly after a moment. "Building things. Making them grow."
He exhaled, eyes distant for a beat before he looked at her again. "Yeah. I guess I do. It's exciting to discover the unknown, seeing what you imagine materialise."
She studied him quietly, the faint crease at the corner of his brow, the way the streetlight caught in his eyes. "You talk about it like it's more than work."
"It is," he said simply. "It's a dream. And maybe… I want to build something I can be proud of. Something you could be proud of too."
Her steps faltered slightly at that. "Me?"
"Of course." He squeezed her hand. "You've been there through all of it even when I didn't deserve it. You're part of this too, whether you realise it or not."
Something in her chest ached, tender, warm and a little overwhelming. She blinked quickly, eyes darting away toward the glowing windows of a shophouse café.
"Ren…" she started, voice quieter now, "you know you don't have to keep proving things to me, right?"
He smiled faintly, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "But I still want to."
For a while, neither of them spoke. The night felt slower, softer — as if the whole street was listening.
Then, out of nowhere, Noelle murmured, "You're amazing, you know that?"
Ren's grin returned. "That's a new adjective you've used on me."
"And it'll keep being true," she replied, but her tone had softened, threaded through with something like affection.
They turned a corner, and the lights from the Sultan Mosque bathed the street in a soft, golden glow. Ren stopped then, tugging her gently closer, his voice almost a whisper.
"I'm serious about the restaurants," he said. "But I'm even more serious about us."
Noelle looked up at him, her heart doing that quiet, traitorous flutter again. She didn't answer in words but when she leaned in, resting her head briefly against his shoulder as they continued walking, it said everything she couldn't bring herself to say out loud.
Their days didn't slow down the way Noelle imagined after the exams ended. Ren's schedule was still packed with meetings, site visits, tastings and yet somehow, he always made space for her.